


Immortal Obsession

by Kibum (GilbertsLeftArm)



Category: D.Gray-man
Genre: Alternate Universe - Ghosts, M/M, Mental Institutions
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-06-01
Updated: 2014-03-15
Packaged: 2017-12-13 15:12:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,849
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/825753
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GilbertsLeftArm/pseuds/Kibum
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kanda checks himself into a mental institution... because he can see ghosts. He knows he's going crazy, but the biggest problem is the fact that he can't tell who's living and who's dead. Not to mention there's the white-haired stranger in room 14 who keeps changing the numbers on the rooms...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Mr Divine Rice Field

**Author's Note:**

> I've been wanting to write this for ages, and after discovering the original first chapter draft a little while ago, I couldn't not upload it… please enjoy!
> 
> *Stuck between putting it as Teen or Mature because of language*
> 
> Grrrr

"Name?"

"Yuu Kanda."

The woman pulled a strange face at his accented reply, eyeing him with raised eyebrows over her thickly framed glasses. The tip of her pen was held delicately on her lower lip as she regarded him – or what she could see of him – over the particularly high desk. Long black hair,  _very_  long. Dark, midnight eyes. An obvious scowl. His fists were clenched, resting on the surface in front of him. He clicked his tongue in annoyance at her.

"You're obviously not British."

"Tch… no. Why should I be?"

"Because it's easier to find and get into a place like this in your own country."

"I've already got an e-mail saying I've been accepted here."

She stared back at him steadily, still eyeing him when he said nothing more. The only thing she was receiving from him was a direct glower, causing her to sigh quietly (but loud enough for him to hear) and it triggered him to snap out the answer to the indirect question in an irritated tone.

"I'm Japanese."

"Hmmm, explains the name."

He just grunted and tapped his finger on the mahogany in the next silence that followed, all while she tapped away almost pointlessly at her ancient computer, before turning up at him again and he got a good look at her face for the first time. She was probably nearing retirement; her skin was heavily wrinkled, but her eyes still held fire and she appeared far from being worn down. She was also very pale, and it made Yuu feel something akin to a manly and uncaring version of pity at the lack of sun she probably got to have in this desk job.

_But how much sun does this weird woman get? Everyone in this fucking institution probably looks like they're vampires._

The window in the lobby had been sealed off (undoubtedly due to there being insufficient funds to fix a break) and a few infrequently flickering light bulbs thankfully provided it with a decent enough light source. Some spider webs sat in corners and old newspapers were strewn over a dusty coffee table. A fish tank lay empty, built into the wall near the door. The carpet was hard and scratchy underfoot, and he was thankful that he was not required to remove his shoes.

"How do you spell it, then?"

"…What?"

"How do you spell your name?"

"Tch, the kanji for ' _the divinity'_ , and then ' _rice field-'"_

"Please tell this to me in a way I can understand this before I put you down as something stupid."

Yuu rubbed a hand on his face. It was clear his annoyed feelings to her were mutually exchanged. Hopefully he wouldn't be seeing much of her here in the near future. Stupid smug receptionists, thinking they were above him.

"Ugh, fine," he grunted, "Y-U-U K-A-N-D-A." He told her the letters one by one, his frown growing rapidly when he saw how long it was taking her to type each character.

"And your age, Mr Divine Rice Field?"

He scoffed and jerked his head to the side at the remark, but he couldn't be bothered to get into further argument. This woman was eating up his time and he didn't like it.

"I'm 19."

A genuine look of surprise invaded the receptionist's features for a second, the complete opposite from her brash expression from a few seconds ago.

Yuu took notice and snorted, "got a problem with that?"

"No…" the woman tapped in two keys on her keyboard and adjusted her glasses with a glance to the screen. "It's just," she spoke, her voice lacking the previous complacent tone, "…you're so young."

He twitched.

"You can't tell just my looking at me, lady?"

She sighed again and Yuu grinded his teeth, still smirking and holding his sarcastic front. However, the receptionist didn't dwell in his age for long (she probably though that best), and proceeded to ask more general questions. He answered them this time without much reluctance, while slowly realising she was avoiding requesting the reason why he was here in the first place.

 _Hopefully they'll give that job to someone else,_ he thought,  _I'm sick of this woman and her weird attitude._

She had to get up out of seat to lean over and pass the stack of papers she had just printed.

"Take this to Room 62," she instructed, "it's about the twentieth door you'll see on your left. Dr Lee will fill out the rest with you and probably take it upon himself to be your personal doctor for your stay. He usually takes to fiery patients like yourself.

"Did you just sa-"

"He  _really_  doesn't like to be kept waiting."

"Tch."

The sheets felt strangely light and weightless in his hand as he walked with them by his side and away from the front desk. A long, cool draft brushed past his body but the paper, he vaguely recorded amongst his musings, didn't seem to catch the soft breeze. He exited the room and saw the dull corridor stretch out before him. Well, he wouldn't expect it to be bright and cheerful. This wasn't the type of place to have fun. The faded walls and worn-down doors along with the threadbare rugs seemed to him, in fact, highly fitting. Beneath those were floorboards, the wide gaps between them containing dust that lay there happily. He found that some places had had more wear than others, particularly in front of the door marked '27'. The wood was a much darker brown hue, and was rather flaky and rotten. Yuu turned his nose up.

_You'd think they'd have a cleaner or something. It might not be made for all sparkles but it really is fucking gross here._

His footstep's echoes were muffled only slightly by the thin fabric underneath him as he looked periodically towards the signs on the doors. Some of the brass digits had fallen off some time in the past and had not been replaced; leaving pale marks where they had previously been nailed in. The numbers, he also found, were also all very wrong. Completely random; 2, 24, 157. There were no set patterns whatsoever on both sides of the corridor – odds and evens were randomly clumped together.

_Some weirdo probably went around and changed them all. Explains the missing ones, too – he's moved them to other doors._

After a little time, he gradually began to discover the eerie quietness that seemed to set into the corners of the place; there was no low hum of central heating, despite it being the middle of winter, or just the general hustle and bustle he would expect here at the height of the day. He supposed it was just because the place was almost purposely designed to be fucking depressing and the budget was absolute shit.

"Another place the NHS couldn't give a damn about," he grumbled quietly to himself, leading him to laugh a while. British healthcare was free, but that didn't have to mean it was great.

_I just hope that don't end up treating me like I've lost my mind… even though I probably have._

Yuu's brisk speed pushed icy air against him, fanning the hair that draped down his whole back out like a dark cape. He hadn't tied it up today and he growled when he realised it was just going to get tangled and waste his life by making him brush it for a ridiculous amount of time. The coat he was wearing came down to just above the back of his knees, engulfing most of his body while keeping to the shadowy theme of his natural features. His shoes, or boots, were a dark ebony that made it difficult to distinguish between where they ended and his jeans began, which were held up with a jet belt that was covered with an inky-coloured t-shirt.

Basically, everything he was wearing was black.

He shoved his free hand into a pocket and continued on, eventually seeing a door click open and a man emerge from the room, his composure similar to his own.

"I'll see you in three days' time, Tyki," another voice called from inside, and Yuu caught the old '62' at the top. This was Dr Lee's office, he realised.

The so-called Tyki glanced over at the Japanese with interest, his lips forming a small conceited grin as he stared back with an expression that was left purposely blank. He could tell this man was judging him, and wasn't like he wasn't the same. What could be his reason for staying here? His confident and self-assured atmosphere had come across clearly – a complete opposite to the mental stability that would most likely be expected here. Even including Yuu. Whilst he was well aware of his own sanguine and certain personality, he had come to this place because he was beginning to feel the barriers inside his mind shift and creak in recent weeks.

The man he could only assume was Dr Lee appeared in the doorway with an overly-cheerful grin.

"…Three days it'll be," Tyki spoke, his voice low as he tipped his hat towards Yuu and Dr Lee before turning down the corridor and out of sight.

Confused, the doctor turned to the second place his first patient had nodded, only to find the Japanese staring back at him.

"Oh!" he appeared to perk up more than before (if that was even possible), "you must be Yuu Kanda!"

Yuu nodded.

"Great!" he beamed, "right this way, then. We'll get you settled in in no time."

He decided before he even set foot in the old office that he did not like Dr Lee. His attitude was far too cheerful and positive; something made him want to slap that absurdly large smile off his face. Well, at least he wasn't like the receptionist who would backchat him and called him that stupid name. He would be easier to put up with. Yuu would have to just try to stay calm under the sickly happy tone the doctor's voice held. And that other Tyki guy pissed him off, too. With his self-righteous smirk and the way he'd just looked over him like he was so much less important, was there anyone here in this institution he'd meet that he wouldn't want to punch the living daylights out of?

The room was the same as the parts of the large building he'd seen, the only difference being that the window was not boarded up (albeit it was so dusty and covered in dirt he could barely see out of it). It was average size and had a desk at the centre back of the office, with a chair on each side and a chunky white computer standing on it to the left.

"If you'd like to take a seat there, that'd be great."

"Yeah."

The only different was the optimistic aura the place seemed to give off, and that was obviously Dr Lee's presence and the small touches he had made to make the place where worked more personal and inviting. There were flowers in a chipped vase opposite the computer, and a painting of a sunset on his wall to the right.

Dr Lee pulled his chair closer to the screen as he adjusted the keyboard to face him.

"My apologies," he muttered as he frantically moved the mouse back and forth, "this old thing's a little slow."

Yuu mumbled a response, resting a fist on his chin as he crossed his legs and continued his observing. The other wall had a bookshelf that was perhaps three quarters full, mostly with medical books that suited his part of the field and a couple of scattered journals stuffed full of patients' notes. There was a photo in a frame, too, on the second shelf from the top. Arbitrarily curious, he edged his body closer and focused his eyes to get a better view. The picture had been torn in one corner and taped back together, while a section at the bottom seemed to be missing as a whole. Most of the edge was also blackened, and Yuu was starting to wonder why this photo was so significant that the doctor had gone to so much trouble to keep it there until he caught sight of exactly  _who_  was in it.

It was Dr Lee with that ever present smile, not looking at all different that he was now, with both his arms wrapped around a young girl of maybe four or five years old. She had dark hair that framed her face, held up in little pig tails and mimicking the expression of the man. In fact, their features were very similar – their face shape was practically identical, and, also, the way their noses were…

"Lenalee?" he breathed.

The doctor had caught sight of one of his rare surprised expressions, his smile quickly disappearing off of his face when he heard the other. "Um, by any chance, do you recogni-"

Someone screamed.

Yuu's eyes squeezed shut and he felt his whole body tense at the ear-piercing noise. It wasn't a cliché girly scream from a horror movie – this was a cry of pain so intense it made the Japanese want to almost copy it. It was a cry of pure, undiluted and merciless pain, lasting out an unbelievably long time before slowly fading to silence.

He found his hands digging into his ears and the sides of his head, nails pushing so hard there were a few places he had drawn blood.

Looking up, he found the doctor in a similar position, although he was recovering a lot quicker and seemed to sigh when he returned the gaze. He stood up and went round his desk, patting Yuu on the shoulder as he walked.

"Sorry about this… that'll be Neah that needs help again."

"Neah?" Yuu echoed, irritated by his appointment being interrupted and instinctively got up and began following after him.

They didn't have to travel far – only to the room next door in fact - and he presumed that the person who had screamed was inside this one, explaining why it had been so loud.

Yuu caught sight of the faintly glinting '14' at the top of the door as it opened, before turning his attention to the 'Neah' that was within.

"Hey, buddy," the dark-haired doctor rushed over to a figure curled up on the floor, reaching his arms out and giving an attempt to scoop him up into a sitting postion.

'Neah' was visibly shaking – his whole body was tensing and untensing and he soon began to thrash around in the doctor's arms, letting out loud yells and trying his best to claw his nails through his skin. All the while, the doctor held him tightly, repeating things like "calm down" and "it'll be over soon, don't worry" over and over again.

Not really sure what to do, Yuu stood with his back against the wall and his arms tightly crossed, a frown still remaining on his expression as he almost passively watched the scene in front of him play through. His eyes remained unfocused as he retreated into his thoughts a little. Why couldn't someone else see to this person? Or, at least, he should have been made aware of the lack of staff at the institution if it warranted this. Sure, this was a likely place where people had mental breakdowns, but, surely everyone was important as-?

"You bastard! You fucking bastard!"

The Japanese jerked his head up only to see Neah's face inches away from his, angrily contorted into a scowl that was larger and deeper than the one he himself admitted he usually wore. His teeth were bared and an ugly scar ripped down one side of his face like someone had pulled a red marker through and down his skin. His hair was a stark, unnatural white and his eyes were silver-grey colour, with pupils currently smaller than the size of a pin-head as he growled inhumanly at Yuu.

He tried his best to remain composed. Did this attention seeker just curse at him for no reason? He hadn't even met him and he was already chucking profanities at him!

"What the  _fuck_  did you just call me, you litt-"

"I said that you were a fucking bastard, that's what you are!"

Hands appeared out of nowhere and grabbed Neah's shoulders, pulling him gradually away from the taller man as he clawed and scratched at the doctor, who was now holding him at a distance that was as far away from his face as possible without weakening his grip. Yuu was about to follow, but his logic finally kicked in and overrode his violent actions. This person obviously had something wrong with him that made him do that. He could confess to himself that even though he really could be a dick a lot of the time, Neah had barely known him for a second, and had not even acknowledged him before his attempt to attack him. Dr Lee seemed to know how to handle him, though, and the Japanese soon saw the other patient begin to calm down.

"Are you alright now?" he heard the doctor ask calmly.

"Yeah."

"Will you and Allen be ok if I leave you two alone? Promise not to have another argument?"

"As long as you get that other guy to fuck off with you."

"Hey!" Yuu couldn't resist making a remark, even if was just a little one.

"Yes, yes, I'll get him to go away with me, but only if you tell me why you don't like him next time I come and see you, ok?"

"Ok."

"Once again," Dr Lee spoke as he shut and locked the door to room 14 "another thing I always end up having to apologise for is Neah's behaviour. He's  _very_  unstable, as you can probably tell, and only really takes to a few people. Everyone else, well… he does what you have just seen."

Yuu sat back down in the chair he was before, quickly returning to his original position.

"Right, Mr Yuu Kanda."

"Just Kanda is fine."

"Ah, but," he tapped the files Yuu had given him, "Mrs Lawrey told me in her 'special notes/first impressions' section that you rather enjoy being called ' _Mr Divine Rice Field'._ "

"That fucking receptionist, I swear…" he growled.

Seeing that the Japanese wasn't comfortable with the joke, he quickly changed the subject.

"Tell me then, Kanda, why is it you admitted yourself into here? I understood from what you sent into your e-mail that you felt you did indeed need to come here and thus I accepted your request. But it would be much more helpful if you told me  _exactly_ what the problem was, hmmm?"

Yuu let out a long sigh, his tension increasing slightly as he hesitated before answering, "this is going to sound crazy, bu-"

"We deal with all kinds of crazy things here, Kanda, as you've just seen."

"…Fine. I can see ghosts."

Dr Lee stiffened, and the Japanese assumed it was from his comment, so he tried his best to expand.

"Or, at least, I think I can because other people can't see them so they can't be people… what's wrong now?"

"Oh, nothing, nothing. Don't worry yourself. You may not believe this, but this is a common problem, Kanda, you're not alone."

"Are you saying that there are other people here that… think the same way or something?"

"None here, I'm afraid, but there have been recent cases reported in other mental health hospitals so we can deal with your position quite nicely if all goes well."

He frowned. "So… are you saying that I can't see ghosts and I'm just hallucinating, or…?"

"Of course not – you are seeing the correct things. Ghosts do very much exist, trust me."

"…I hate to say this, but I'm confused."

"No need to be! In fact, you don't need to tell me anymore right now – you're good to go to your room and get settled in. That's the best thing for you – get used to this place. Your phone in there should be set up for your allowed weekly call."

"But if there's technically nothing wrong with me because what I'm seeing… exists… then why do I have to-?"

"Number 3! Off you go!" he grinned, shoving the papers back across the desk towards him.

"But I-"

"Neah might have moved the numbers on the doors round again – turn left and then it's fifth one on the right-hand si-"

"Listen to me when I'm trying to talk to you – I'm the fucking patient here, not you!"

There was a pause as the doctor fell silent. After, he adjusted his jacket and his glasses, switched off his computer and picking up his briefcase. He checked his watch.

"It seems that there is somewhere I need to be and I need to get organised for it. Please leave, Kanda, I'll see you at the same time in three days."

"Tch."

Yuu strode out of the office, slamming the door behind him and getting a reaction in the form of a little unhappy squeak from Dr Lee. As angry as he was, he had no choice but to follow his instructions, because he had no others.

He felt something collide with his chest.

"Oh, gosh, I am so sorry! I'll look where I'm going next time! Excuse me!"

"What are you talki…" he trailed off as he looked down to see someone smaller than him, holding a face that he had just come to recognise in the past few minutes.

"…Neah?"

The boy (yes, it was a boy of about fifteen or sixteen) look back at him with confusion.

"I'm Allen Walker, sir."

"Where's Neah, then? And why do you look you like him? Are you … you're shitting me - you have exactly the same  _fucking scar_  on your face. Don't lie to me and pretend to be all innocent."

'Allen' began to tear up, small drops trickling down his mismatched cheeks. "Please don't compare him to me! I hate him so much and he's so cruel to me, all the time!"

Yuu slapped a hand onto his own face and pushed past the white-haired boy. "I don't have any time for this. Leave me alone and go and screw with someone else."

"But…"

Allen looked back at him, his face holding an extremely hurt expression.

Yuu had already disappeared.

"He was the only one that didn't know, Neah – the one that you yelled at?" he whispered at nothing, and then freezing for a second to listen out for something.

Seemingly content with the reply he had got, he shrugged and walked back through the locked door to room 14.

* * *

"Hello?"

"Yuu Kanda; I want to speak to Lenalee."

"Oh, you again. I'll put you though, hang on."

By now, the apartment lobby's phone operator had gotten used to this caller and always knew who he wanted – either the girl with the pigtails or the strange ginger boy with the eye patch. They were the only people he was seemingly civil to, so after ten or so calls he began to ignore the attitude he got from him.

"Kanda!" a voice spoke cheerfully through the speaker after a few moments of dialling and connecting tones.

"Hey, Lenalee. Just wanted to let you know I'm pretty much settled here, so-"

"Is that Yuu-chan?" a nasally voice interrupted their short conversation, "let me speak to him, quick! I need to tell him something!"

"Wait your turn, Lavi!" Lenalee scolded, "ah, you can probably guess anyway that he's over."

"Tell him to use my last name, or at least to stop fucking calling me with the  _chan_  suffix. The stupid rabbit's not Japanese."

"I heard that, Yuu-chan!"

"Shut up!"

"Guys, please, for once can we stop? Kanda, where are you staying, anyway? You never told us."

"Only because you'll tell the rabbit."

"…That I would, yes."

"…Well?"

"Tch. A.R Red Block"

Silence.

"What's wrong now? Rabbit, have you got hold of th-"

"Kanda…"

"Oh you're still here, Lenal-"

" _Kanda._ "

"What?"

"The A.R Red Block… burnt down twelve years ago. It was the fire that killed my brother, remember?"


	2. Scared

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kanda finds himself going around in circles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I AM THE MOST AWFUL PERSON IN THE UNIVERSE I’M SORRY I’M SO SORRY
> 
> I COMPLETELY FORGOT THIS FIC WAS EVEN PUBLISHED ONLINE AND I FEEL ABSOLUTELY TERRIBLE
> 
> I EVEN HAVE CHAPTERS ALREADY ON MY COMPUTER 
> 
> OK
> 
> HERE YOU CAN ALL HAVE THIS GOMEN

The silence was oddly fitting. Yuu’s mouth was pressed into a tight frown, eyes ever so slightly wider than usual as he swallowed. Clenching and unclenching the worn phone in his hand, he let his eyes run over the contents of his new room here. Phoning Lenalee had been the first thing he’d done upon entering (the device was attached to he wall right next to the door, after all), and he realised now that it probably shouldn’t have been.

 

Everything was covered in sheets; white sheets, blue sheets, old-woman-floral-patterned sheets. It looked like a giant, mismatched duvet of faded cloth and dust. None of the furniture was visible, and around some edges, it was burnt black. The smell of ash that had been settling into his nose and the charcoal stained walls made it undeniable.

 

 _“The A.R Red Block… burnt down twelve years ago. It was the fire that killed my brother, remember?”_ Lenalee’s words hadn’t finished echoing in his mind.

 

This room had been on fire, and he stood still, tense, listening to her breathing on the other end of the line as she patiently waited for his reply.

 

Images of the blackened corridors he had walked through filled Yuu’s mind and made it difficult to focus. He caught sight of himself in the mirror and ran a hand down his face. His skin had become pale, reflecting the shock the rest of his features were failing to express. Scowling, maybe at himself, he ran his finger over the mirror’s frame. It came back covered in dust, and his nose turned up in disgust.

 

Everyone here he’d met with was probably dead, that so much was clear. The old receptionist, that man with the hat that probably had a pole up his arse, the irritating two-faced little shit with the ugly scar… and Dr Lee.

 

“Is this some kind of joke, Kanda?”

 

Yuu’s whole body tensed, both the thought of Lenalee’s dead brother and her words hitting him at the same time.

 

“I…” for once, the Japanese was at a loss.

 

He cleared his throat and pinched the bridge of his nose, staring at the threadbare ‘welcome’ rug by his feet.

 

“Alright,” she said, her voice breaking a little, “I’m going to hang up now. Whatever’s going on in your mind is either some kind of sick lie, or you _really_  do have a problem. Either way, I’m glad you’re staying wherever you are. Goodbye, Kanda.”

 

Yuu opened his mouth to protest, but the muffled sound of Lavi’s voice got there first, “Lenalee, wait a sec-”

 

She hung up regardless.

 

Grunting irritatedly, Yuu’s right hand hastily began dialing the number again. But this time, instead of a ringing sound, he got Dr Lee’s voice.

 

_“You do not have any credit left; please wait at least one week before requesting more from a member of staff. If it is an emergency, please use the internal Red Block line and a nurse will see to you shortly.”_

He immediately felt a sense of panic rise from within him. He wasn’t afraid, that wasn’t it. It was that he’d seen these people as real, _live_ , people. In his eyes, there was no difference between the living and the dead - no movie-typical, ethereal glow surrounded those that had passed on; everyone looked the same. They were solid and warm to touch, but he had never gone so far to see if they still had a beating heart.

 

He’d first discovered this ‘ability’ not too long ago. It was only a week after his nineteenth birthday, and he’d been dragged out with Lavi and Lenalee as their excuse to prove to the rest of their (and Yuu’s so-called) friends that the shopping trip they had planned wasn’t a date. He supposed it really wasn’t meant to be one at first, but there he was, walking out of the food court, only to realise neither of them were following him. Upon turning around he’d seen them hovering against a nearby bench, Lavi stealing a quick kiss from Lenalee before glancing sheepishly at Yuu.

 

He’d returned it with a sharp glare, before making a non-commital noise and turning back to face the crossing. A cranky-looking old man had appeared in front of him, barging past to push the button.

 

“Oi,” Yuu snapped, “watch it. Don’t try to squeeze in when there is literally no space for you, old man.”

 

He’d expected a rude remark back, but as the man paused, he instead got a stuttering, quiet voice.

 

“You… can see me?”

 

The sudden change in attitude caught Yuu off guard, but the frown quickly spread back across his face. This man was small - he came up to the Japanese’s shoulders - and he had a walking stick in his right hand. The clothes he was wearing were worn and slightly dirty, but it was his expression that Yuu was more worried about. He was looking up at him like he was some kind of holy deity, faded eyes wide with shock, hesitation, admiration and a lot of nervousness.

 

He sniffed, “of course I can. It’s hard not to when you just barged right into me.”

 

The man’s free hand grabbed his arm and Yuu brushed it off, looking at him with an unamused expression as the man began to ramble.

 

“Oh thank _goodness_! My boy, you are one of the people he was talking about, one of the last ones. I beg of you, _please_ , my wife, I see her here daily, everyday on and off the bus… oh she is so dreadfully alone! Dreadfully! Please, tell her, _tell her_ that I’m alright, she must understand if you also sa-”

 

“Shut up, _please. God_ , I can’t think.”

 

At this point he had practically become hysterical, eyes beginning to water as he spoke. His voice had grown increasingly desperate before Kanda had stopped him, his whole body shaking weakly.

 

WIth Yuu’s current expression, the hope that had appeared in his eyes, he realised, might be vanishing just as fast. He stood before him with his arms crossed, one eyebrow half-raised, and a firm frown on his lips.

 

“ _Please_ ,” the man forced out, tears falling freely, “please, my boy, just listen to me.”

 

Yuu glanced back at Lavi and Lenalee, who seemed to be fully occupied.

 

With a great sigh, his hands pushed into his coat pockets, he closed his eyes for a few seconds and then replied.

  
“ _Fine_. But… slow down.”

 

“Alright,” the flustered old man agreed, visibly calming down from relief, and he began his story.

 

Yuu jerked from his train of thought, a knock on the door bringing him back to the present as his head darted towards the sound. He pulled the handle calmly, knowing that there was really no reason to panic after all - he’d just leave this place and find somewhere else to go. After all, he might even be able to find some closure for the late souls existing here, if they could give him a good enough reason to.

 

His thoughts temporarily found their way to the memory of the first ghost he’d met again. He hated sob stories.

 

No one was standing outside the door, but upon looking down, Yuu spotted a note that had settled amongst the dust and mould on the floor. He decided there was no reason not to pick it up, and proceeded to do so, opening it as soon as he could (it had ‘Mr Divine Rice Field’ scrawled on it in cursive handwriting, which he tried his very best to ignore).

 

Inside was a brief booklet on the rules of the place, including meal times and instructions in the event of emergencies. He put it on the table beside him - he was about to leave anyway, so he had no need for it - and pulled out the other thing inside.

 

It was a letter:

 

_Yuu Kanda,_

_This is a confirmation of your next appointment with Dr Komui Lee, agreed and registered at one o’clock in three days time - this coming thursday. The enclosed booklet should provide you with all the necessary information you might need, but if you do have any questions, reception shall be available at all hours to answer them. You have been written down as a patient without any special requirements, so you have free will to move about this hospital if you do so wish it. We hope you find your stay comfortable and wish you a full recovery from whatever you may have._

_Alice Bakersfield, reception._

 

After scanning over it, Yuu shoved it into his coat pocket and stepped briskly out into the corridor, closing the door to his room shut behind him. Well, it wasn’t going to be his room anymore.

 

He turned left and began to walk, passing the unordered rooms yet again. He was looking at this hospital in a new light now; the shambled appearance was explained. But despite the fact that he knew why it was so dirty here, it made him feel no less like he wanted to be sick in the nearest toilet. Which probably didn’t even work anymore. Did ghosts use the toilets, and even if they didn’t flush?

 

He tried to push the thoughts out of his mind.

 

Yuu was pleased at how well he’d remembered where to go, and soon found himself passing room 14 again. There were noises coming from the inside and he stopped, despite himself. Someone was talking, seemingly to themselves. The one-sided conversation sounded a little forced, then a little agitated, and then it sort of began to swell into a psuedo-argument (you can’t really argue with yourself at this scale, but this was a mental hospital, so Yuu decided it couldn’t have been unheard of). Just about to turn away, he heard a sudden shout and the talking stopped, followed by the sound of footsteps coming towards him. Seconds later, a head appeared through door.

 

Literally. _Through the door_. There was the head, no less, of the ridiculous being he remembered as Neah. He was staring straight at him, face blank. And Yuu stared back, compeltely unfazed.

 

“What?” he finally asked.

 

The white haired boy frowned, and then opened his mouth to speak. But no sound came out for a while.

 

“I’m pissed off,” the red scar on his face distorted as he finally spoke.

 

“I see,” Yuu replied, expressionless.

 

More silence.

 

And then, “don’t you care?”

 

“About what?”

 

“My head is through the door.”

 

“I know.”

 

Neah’s brows furrowed, and a gloved hand came through the door as well. It began to wave, but then jerked into a fist with a raised middle finger. It was aimed at Neah.

 

“Allen is pissing me off. He always does.”

 

“...Wonderful to hear that. I’m going now,” Yuu said, taking a few steps away.

 

_“Wait!”_

 

The Japanese spun round again. Neah’s voice sounded higher to before, and it had surprised him, in a way.

 

“What is it now? I want to fucking _leave_ already.”

 

Something was different.

 

It was like the light had shifted; Neah’s face was haunted. His grey eyes were huge and wide, sunken deep into his skull. His skin was pale beyond how one would look even if they were ill, lacking the healthy flush life gave to a body. It highlighted his scar even more, a bloody shade of dark red in the darkening evening. From what Yuu could see of his body, Neah was beginning to shake, white hair limp and greasy.

 

“I’m scared.”

 

Both the sight of him and what he said unsettled something inside Yuu, but he wasn’t sure what it was. He barely had a chance to think before the head suddenly vanished into the room, and the Japanese soon realised he was loudly banging on the door.

 

He gritted his teeth and yelled for Neah to open up, immediately disliking whatever he _had_ unsettled. There was something so undeniably twisted and _wrong_ about this boy - he couldn’t leave yet. It would take a while, but the unanswered questions would have begun to eat away at him, especially since the boy was dead.

 

“Fuck _off_!” Neah practically screamed from the inside.

 

“Listen to me,” Yuu forced out, hand clenched around the door handle, “open up this fucking door _right now,_ you little shit. I need to talk to you.”

 

“I don’t want to! You piss me off!”

 

“I said, open the door!”

 

“He said _open the door_ , Neah,” there was that voice again.

 

_"I'm Allen Walker, sir."_

 

The short memory filled his mind and he might have shouted more urgently if he hadn’t have heard a reluctant curse and the slow padding of Neah’s footsteps. There was a clicking sound and his head appeared again, except this time it was visibly attached to a body.

 

“What do you want to talk to me about?” the voice was slow, innocent and calm as he curiously tilted his head to one side. However, his eyes remained half-absent.

 

“You,” Yuu replied, “and the people here. You’re all dead,” he avoided making it a question on purpose.

 

Neah looked sad at this, and his eyes fell to the floor.

 

“I know,” he replied quietly, running a finger down the doorframe. It passed through the wood at some points.

 

Now that he was actually here, thinking about it, Yuu wasn’t exactly sure what he really wanted to say to the boy. His top priority of leaving had suddenly been dropped to second place, and now he was speechless. Whether it was because of how Neah looked or not, he didn’t know. It was similar to the feeling he had upon seeing the old receptionist at this hospital, with the addition of something else that he didn’t know. Whatever it was, though, he didn’t like it.

 

“I’ve met dead people before,” Yuu commented, watching expressionlessly as Neah stepped out of the room. His movements were uneven and hesitant. The Japanese’s mind reflected back to the last time he had seen Neah like this… or similar. He’d been more open, less blunt with him.

 

“Then that explains why you’re not surprised.”

 

He grunted noncommittally.

 

“And I thought you also want to leave?”

 

“I will when this is over with.”

 

A strange expression flashed across Neah’s face for a moment before disappearing, and he didn’t reply, instead choosing to card his fingers through his hair and nod for Yuu to step inside his room.

 

“What do you want from us, Yuu Kanda?”

 

Yuu raised his eyebrows as the answer to his first question hit him without him even needing to ask it. He zipped up his coat and folded his arms, taking to leaning against the wall next to the door, which sat slightly ajar. A quick escape, if needed.

 

“Why are you all here?”

 

“Here, Kanda?”

 

“In this building. Why don’t you all just leave and do what other people do?”

 

“And what’s that?”

 

“Well it’s obvious. Looking for your family, finishing unfinished business - that sort of shit.”

 

“Some people here don’t have a family,” Neah said flatly, and Yuu half-had the idea that he was referring to himself when he said that, “but that’s not the reason.”

 

“Well, then, what?”

 

“We can’t leave. It’s as simple as that.”

 

Yuu scoffed to cover the mild surprise that flashed across his face, “well, why not? Every dead person I’ve met so far could go wherever they fucking well felt like.”

 

Neah jerked, the way he held himself shifting a little, “you think I wouldn’t if I could? You think I’m I’m fucking _happy_ in this _shithole_? Stuck with _Allen_? You think?”

 

He got a glare in return and suddenly the smaller grabbed his wrists with more force than he thought possible. Yuu tried to pull away, fists clenching tightly as Neah started to push him out of the room, eyes narrow slits as he looked up at him with nothing but detest on his face.

 

And that was it. The door was shut, locked tight with a sharp click, and Yuu found himself trapped from the boy again within the space of barely a few minutes since last time. He grunted out of frustration and gave a single pound again the door. Splinters flew away and he felt a sharp pain jar through his knuckles. He didn’t flinch. He was too pissed off to even care.

 

“Kanda,” a calm voice - the other voice - came quietly through the door, “I think it would be best if you left us alone for a while. And I’m sorry, but I don’t think you can leave here, either. You’re registered with the hospital now; unless Mrs Bakersfield can take you off.”

 

“Nea-”

 

“ _Later_ , Kanda. Go and have something to eat.”

 

Silence, a deep breath, and then, “fine.”

 

Footsteps trailed down the corridor, getting less harsh as they went.

  
He was hungry anyway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Southern fried Super Noodles taste like play-dough :(
> 
> Will be back soon with more~


End file.
